Chapter 1.4

With the vats filled up, she accompanied the bundle of joy called Felix to wash the clothes in the nearby river. He had said so before, that he was going to wash clothes, yet she thought he was doing it by the well. But when she heard they were going to the river for that, she could not help being excited. It was so novel!

Walking towards the back of the house, they went down the dirt path that soon turned into an inclined trail, and finally, they reached the river. Felix then led her to the part of the river that had big and flat rocks, perfect for clothes washing.

"You can stay here. It won't take that long." Felix pointed at a semi flat rock by the shore that was perfectly shaded by a tall tree for her to sit at while he took off his straw shoes and then stepped into the river. He put the baskets with the dirty clothes by the side, upturned them, splaying the contents on the rock, and started his chore.

As she watched him submerge the pieces in the water, rub them and even pound against the rock, to finally submerge it in the water once again, she was itching to try. Her head, for the time being, was not throbbing, so she was brave enough to ask him: "Do you need help?"

"Huh? Uh, no, it's fine. Just sit there." He easily responded.

"I want to try washing, too." She said, taking off her nicely made shoes; the same shoes she was wearing when Lucas found her. Her quick actions did not allow Felix to reject her again. She waded through the cool water that reached her knees and soon stood beside him.

"Um… I mean… Sure." He relented after she intently stared at him with what she deemed as pleading eyes. He fell for it after all.

If Felix did not want her to help, it was because he was ashamed to let her see his clothes, especially his underwear. So, he quickly pulled his clothes closer to him and out of her sight, and dumped a few pieces from his brothers, underwear included, on another rock for her to wash.

She had to admit that she had not thought the whole matter ahead. The male underwear in front of her suddenly felt like a great obstacle to tackle. Could she do it? Unaware of her conundrum, Felix taught her how he washed clothes and then let her try.

It was harder than it looked. She had only washed two shirts and one underwear and she was already beat. It was also awkwardly silent whenever she grabbed a piece of underwear to wash.

The underwear though… she did not know what to expect, but she was certainly a bit disappointed to see some simple shorts as underwear. Yes. Nothing fancy. Just very plain shorts with strings so they would not fall…

She could not even tell which was whose. They all were the same style and same color. She even wondered if they all shared. Felix did seem to have his own underwear as he quickly picked them from the pile to wash himself. Even if it was still the same style as his brothers'.

Finally, Felix could not stand the embarrassing situation and spoke up.

"Maybe… I should wash those..." He said in a tiny voice, pointing at the underwear. "Uh, why dontcha wash yer dress?" He quickly suggested instead.

"Yes, sure." She smiled to dispel the awkwardness. Neither him nor her were prepared for that step, it seemed.

Either way, she could finally take a look at the fabled dress! Her huge dress... Not because of the size, but because of the layers upon layers of fabric! Very elaborate was putting it mildly! She could not understand how she was able to wear such a thing; it was very heavy! She did not want to think how heavy it would get once soaked.

I have to wash this dress?! The despair! It is better to go back to the underwear…

Putting aside the unexpected drawback, after closely observing the dress' design, she found that she truly could use the different layers of fabric to sew a couple of skirts, tops and even underwear. And, if sewn well, she could also use the torn fabric to make other garments. With a plan in mind, she was more hyped to wash the dress.

Her eagerness was crushed by the harshness of the task.

Her attempt at washing such a big and heavy dress, of course, ended in a failure. Her arms started hurting after soaking it in the water and lifting it. She also almost tripped on it when she tried to place it on the flat rock. She had not even started rubbing the dirty parts and she was already sweating and panting. The headache also came back. She was a complete mess.

Taking pity on her, Felix started instructing her on how to grab the dress and what to do to wash it.

With perseverance and help from Felix at the end, the dress was finally washed. Emboldened by her partial success, she wanted to tackle the brothers' clothes… Or that was the plan. Felix finally remembered she was a fragile patient, so he persuaded her to rest. She easily took up the offer and went back to the rock by the shore.

Not so long later, Felix was finally done with the washing.

"Can I take a bath here, Felix?" She asked him once he carried the washed clothes to the shore.

"Sure! Just don't take too long. I'll go hang these at the bac." He readily acquiesced. He also took baths in the river together with his brothers during summer, so he did not see a problem for her to do it, too.

She, on the other hand, could not help her surprised face when she saw him calmly carry the basket of wet clothes up the trail and towards the house. That had to weight a lot! Felix's skinny body was deceptively strong.

All alone, she took the much-anticipated bath. The need to wash had been niggling at her since she woke up. Taking off her clothes, she crouched down in the water. Luckily, the injury was on the head, so she freely scrubbed her body. She also washed her underwear and placed it on a tall rock where she also left the shirt/dress/sleepwear to dry.

As she scrubbed – though it was more rubbing –, she suddenly had a flash of a memory of her using soap and oils while washing. Without them, she strangely had trouble feeling completely clean, but she did not know if they were expensive or not, to buy some.

With the brothers' situation, I am not sure if we can afford it…

She paused.

We, huh...

She was already taking too many liberties. With a splash of water on her face, she decided that was a thought for later. For the time being, she had to make do with a good rub and forget about oils. After a moment, she was done. She also took the chance to pass water.

She was a bit embarrassed to ask the teen if they had a bathroom, so she had been holding it for quite some time. Finally, she could take care of that need! Satisfied and relieved, she leaned back on a rock for a while to enjoy the cool water and the warm sunlight until she started shivering.

Only then she decided it was time to get out and stood up. Or so she thought! Like a frog, she unceremoniously squatted back into the water after noticing the tall mountain called Lucas looking at her from the shore.

Give me a break! I may have the hots for them but it is no good to be so forthright!

No, it was actually nice to be direct, yet she was still not prepared for that step. Maybe… "Uh, um… Is there something?" She asked.

Do not just stand there! Say something, you!

Lucas even had the nerve to glance at the underwear she was drying and the shirt beside it. She had no idea what kind of expression he had on his face because his beard obscured it, but thankfully, he turned around to give her the chance to put her clothes on. They were still wet, though.

Ugh, fine then! Only the shirt will do!

"Let us go?" She declared after getting out of the water and putting the flat shoes on. He nodded and gestured for her to take the lead.

When they returned to the house, she immediately discovered why Lucas went to fetch her: the eldest brother, Ethan, had returned and had asked about her. After two days, she was finally meeting the mythical eldest brother! She quickly hung her underwear together with the other clothes already hung, and went to greet him.

"Hello! You have my deepest gratitude, for taking care of me despite being strangers." She immediately said with a polite-yet-charming smile plastered on her face. He smiled back with a dreamy smile. In her eyes, it only served him to look so mature and very, very bedabble.

"It's fine. Just sit down an' take it easy. The doctor was a bit…" Bad, yes, Joseph said it all with very colorful words the day before. "But he still suggested you rest a lot 'till your injury's healed." Taking her arm, the eldest brother, Ethan, led her to the stools at the deck.

"I am fine…" She trailed off once she saw that gentle smile turned a bit sharp for a moment there. Was that the might of the eldest brother who had raised three kids? "I-I… My head sometimes hurts, but it is nothing to worry about! I think it looks worse than it actually is." She fidgeted under Ethan's gaze, ignoring the headache that was pulsing in her temples.

He stayed silent for a moment and then nodded. "Just lemme look. Felix, bring me the medicine and the bandages." He beckoned and she obeyed. His words were gentle, but they still had a commanding hint to them. Like, you would be sorry if you ever did the opposite to what he said.

His big hands grabbed her head and slowly undid the bandage wrapped around, yanking the last bit as it was stuck to a clump of hair thanks to some dried blood. "AH!" She loudly screamed in pain. It really hurt. Her whole skull felt as if someone was hammering inside; the headache turned into a migraine, making her eyes water.

"Sorry, hafta be done." Ethan sincerely apologized as he massaged her temples to reduce the pain. His fingers were a marvel on her, and she almost let everyone know about it with an indecent sound.

"Woah! It really looks gross!" Joseph helpfully – not – commented on the state of the wound. He earned himself a glare from Ethan, Lucas and the returning Felix for his lack of tact. Her? Ah, well, she did not mind. She simply sat there enjoying Ethan's fingers.

"Aight, stay still. This'll be done soon." Ethan comforted, his fingers disappearing from her temples to grab the box of medicine. Although she missed those fingers, she nodded and left him to what he needed to do.

After all, she had no experience in treating wounds, and he looked like an expert as he moved the locks of hair that were stuck with blood without worsening the wound. He also quickly applied the medicine and carefully rubbed it. The medicine stung as the wound had not started to scab yet, making her hiss. After applying a good coat of medicine, he deftly bandaged her head again.

"Done! How's it feel?" He asked with a hint of pride in his tone.

"Much better, thank you." She replied, not feeling any different and with the migraine still pulsing in her head, but it was nice to have clean bandages on a wound. It was important if she did not want to contract an infection. Though what might kill her, instead, was the migraine.

"I'm glad. You can take a nap; we'll call you when dinner's ready." Like that, the marvelous Ethan led her inside the house so she could lay down on their bed. He even thoughtfully placed another shirt on the bed for her to change out of the wet one. They really were nice people. After changing, she got comfortable on the bed, grabbing a sheet and curling under it.

Despite the headache, she was soon in dreamland.